


"all paper snowflakes are gay" and other holiday wisdoms

by The_Onion



Category: Godsfall Podcast D&D Campaign
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Found Family, Godsfall Secret Santa, Love Confessions, no sadstuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 09:08:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13143492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Onion/pseuds/The_Onion
Summary: "modern AU pera xion confession/date or anything related to the A team celebrating the holidays as a Good Good family" no angst





	"all paper snowflakes are gay" and other holiday wisdoms

**Author's Note:**

> its crhusmus

“Hey, Pera!”

Pera looked up from the tablet screen, met Dorro’s excited face. 

“Hi?”

“You look surprised to see me,” Dorro was already climbing onto the bed next to him, peeking over at the screen (Pera quickly shut it down). “You should really be used to this by now — oh, was that porn?”

“It — it wasn’t porn.” Dorro was laughing. “It wasn’t — Dorro, what do you want?”

Dorro looked downright offended by the question. “We’re friends!”

“That — “ Pera put the tablet away (safely), curled up into himself. “Yes, we are, but that’s not an answer.”

“Don’t be silly, friendship is always the answer.” Dorro was climbing over him to reach for the tablet — Pera shoved him back. “You know that the more you hide it, the more I’m certain it was porn?”

“Then why are you so desperate to see it?” Pera decided the thing was safest in his arms, cradled it to his chest.

Dorro snorted.

These were rapidly building up to become the longest five minutes of his life. “It’s not porn!”

“Is it a drawing of Xion?”

Pera felt his face heat up. “No!”

Dorro squinted at him.

“You’re weirding me out,” Pera said.

“Is it porn of Xion?”

“Dorro!”

Another knock on the door, almost immediately followed by them opening, Torrvick’s shaggy head peeked in. 

“Is he here?”

“Who’s he?”

“Your roommate,” Torrvick was entering the room now, ratty sweater pulled tight in a downright red-flaggy way. “Who else?”

Pera was going to combust. “Your roommate?”

“Why would he — oh, hey, Dorro.”

“Hey!” 

“Pour me a saucer of water?”

“Sure!”

Pera watched, resigned, as Torrvick unwrapped the layers of clothing to reveal two small kittens.

“Oh, come on —”

“Oh my god, they’re so small!” Dorro was already back.

“Dorro, water.”

“Yeah, yeah, can I get one for Caitlyn?”

Pera put the tablet away, got up to bring the cats some water himself.

A minute later found the two kittens asleep in Torrvick’s lap, Dorro back on Pera’s bed, and Pera awkwardly hovering around his _own dorm why did this keep happening_

“Sorry for bursting in,” Torrvick spoke up.

“It’s okay,” Pera said. “No, wait, it’s not, why are you in my room, you have your own room, why are you here?”

Torrvick shrugged. “Oinkers gets territorial.”

Pera rubbed at his face, reminded himself Xion would be returning soon (he was always better at being mean to people). “You can’t keep them here.”

“Of course not, they’d freeze.” One of the kittens was chewing on Torrvick’s beard. “Rina says she’ll take them.”

“I want one for Caitlyn!”

“Caitlyn can’t keep them either, Dorro.”

Dorro pouted, tried to poke one of the cats — it tried to bite his finger and he pulled back, enthralled. 

“It likes me!”

“You’re the same maturity level — when are you leaving?”

It took Pera a moment to realize he was a part of the conversation again. “Tomorrow, five-ish.”

“Afternoon?”

“If only.”

“Say hi to Phoenix!” Dorro had a kitten hanging off his sleeve, a focused expression on his face. “And the others.”

“Phoenix and the others,” Pera laughed. “Got it.”

“And your ma’,” Torrvick piped in; Dorro grimaced. “What?”

“You make it sound really weird,” Pera shared Dorro’s sentiment. “I think it’s because you’re a father?”

“Bullshit,” Torrvick grunted. “Don’t need to be a father to think your mum is hot.”

“Torrvick!”

Dorro had finally gotten rid of the kitten on his sleeve. “Aren’t you glad I interrupted your porn-drawing now?”

Torrvick looked up in interest.

“It wasn’t —” Pera’s face was hot again. “I wasn’t drawing porn, Dorro, _god_.”

“Not one, but thanks.” Dorro was grinning. “What was it, then?”

“None of your business?”

Dorro leaned into Torrvick’s space conspiratorially. “That means it was Xion.”

“Porn of Xion, or —”

“Guys!”

“Sorry, sorry, just teasin’.” Torrvick scooped that cat out of his beard. “It’s probably just his present for you, Dorro.”

“A what?” Dorro perked up. “Is that true?”

It was. “Why would —”

“Okay, now you need to show me.” Dorro was already moving for the tablet.

“Dorro!”

Torrvick pulled him back by the coat.

“Torrvick!”

“Behave,” he set a sleeping kitten into Dorro’s lap — the latter stared back with an expression of pure betrayal.

“So that’s how you keep him still.”

Pera jumped up — Xion was at the doorway, unbuttoning his coat.

“It cannot leave this room,” Dorro threatened.

“Sure,” Xion shut the doors behind himself. “Was about to ask, why are the cats here?”

“Oinkers gets territorial,” Pera offered, weakly — Xion met his eyes, snorted.

“Okay,” he nodded. “So, they need to go.”

Dorro opened his mouth to protest.

“I’ll give you my bus pass,” Xion was already going through his stuff. “Go to Rina’s house, or something —”

Dorro was already up, cat in one palm, other plucking the offered card. 

“ — right,” Xion watched it happen, shook his head. Looked down at Torrvick. “Are you…”

“I’m doing okay,” Torrvick climbed up to his feet. “I’ll make Dorro give you your card back as soon as possible.”

“You won’t,” Xion said. “But I appreciate the thought.”

Torrvick grunted something in response, picked up the remaining cat. “See you around, then.”

“At Sirena’s?”

Another grunt, and then they were both gone.

“So,” Xion’s eyes were back at Pera. “You need to learn how to say No to people.”

Pera laughed, awkward. “They were persuasive.”

“That’s what you say about everyone.”

Pera shrugged again. “A lot of people are persuasive.”

“You know,” Xion was putting away the ridiculous amount of cutlery Dorro had apparently felt the need to displace. “I won’t always be around to stop you from —”

“Oh, shut up.”

Xion laughed. “I am serious, you are too nice!”

“And yet you’re the one who just lost his bus pass!”

Xion looked back at him, betrayed.

Pera breathed a laugh. “So.”

“Point.”

“A-ha.” 

__

“So,” Dorro was waiting for him outside the campus gate. “When will you tell Xion you like him?”

Pera froze,fingers digging into the backpack straps. “What?”

“You look sleepy,” Dorro noted (and Pera kind of was — he still maintained that being up before the sun was up wasn’t natural and the city life needed to _stop_ ) “Do you need a coffee? Should we get a coffee?”

“You can _not_ get a coffee.”

“When will you tell Xion you like him?”

“Dorro —”

“We need to start walking, you’ll miss your bus.” Dorro tugged on his coat, started leading the way. “Anyways, you should tell him.”

Pera hurried to keep up, fingers still digging into the fabric. “Since when are you the romance expert?”

“Ha!” Dorro elbowed him. “I did my research!”

“With who?” Pera huffed. “Torrvick?”

“He’s a father of two, he obviously did something right!”

_Yeah_ , a voice inside his head, that sounded suspiciously like Xion, deadpanned. _The mother_. “Please don’t take this personally but —”

“You don’t trust me with your love life?” Dorro cut him off.

“...Well. Yeah.”

“Yes as in you don’t or —”

“You know what I mean!”

Dorro hmph-ed. “You trusted me enough to tell me.”

“I was _drunk_ and you were _nosy_.”

“Sirena took a class on psychoanalysis and apparently —”

Pera slapped a hand over Dorro’s mouth. 

“Okay, I — yes, I do like him, I don’t know when — or, honestly, _if_ I’ll tell him —”

Dorro said something, incomprehensible against Pera’s palm.

“Sorry,” he moved his hand. “What?”

“I said, you should.” Dorro shrugged. “I mean, Sirena says you should.”

“You —” Pera was going to die. “You told Sirena?”

“Uh,” Dorro looked almost offended. “ _No_ , I can keep secrets, she guessed it herself, _thank you_.”

Pera frowned.

“She did!”

“Okay — no, not okay, it’s — I don’t need to tell him!”

Dorro squinted at him, silent for a second.

Pera’s anxiety was skyrocketing.

“O-kay,” Dorro said.

“No,” Pera said.

“Your bus is here.”

“Dorro—”

“Bye!” he gave him a quick wave, disappeared into the crowd. 

Pera swore under his breath, tried to relax his deathgrip on the straps. 

His bus, of course, wasn’t there yet.

__

 

“You should go talk to her.” 

Rina jumped up, momentarily having forgotten where she was and who with.

“Uh,” she turned back to Xion (he was rolling his eyes). “To who?”

“The girl you’ve been staring at for the last five minutes,” Xion responded, because of course he would. Rina swore she could hear the unspoken correction of her grammar float in the air. 

“I was not,” was what she said.

Xion did not seem surprised by her denial. “Want me to go talk to her for you?”

She tried not to laugh — doubted he’d be happy about that. “Yeah, no.”

He frowned.

“Sorry,” she quickly added.

“O-kay,” he said. “I think I’m not following again.”

“That’s okay,” her voice was getting high-pitched. “You don’t need to follow.”

“See, I’m not necessarily offended,” he smoothly sailed past her objections. “But the tone of your voice makes me feel like I should be?”

“You don’t need to do anything you don’t feel like!” Xion’s flight didn’t start boarding for another half an hour, but it was Xion, so he’d be gone in about twenty — she could deflect till then.

“Are you implying I’m a bad wingman?”

“I’m not _implying_ , Xion, I’m _noticing_.”

“ _Hey_.”

The cute girl (who Rina might or mightn’t have been kind of glancing at, occasionally, _maybe_ ) got up to leave.

“See,” Xion breathed, turned back to his book. “Missed your chance.”

“To see you embarrass us both trying to work some magic?” Rina snorted. “True loss.”

He was putting the book down again. “Why do you think I’d be bad at it?”

Rina shrugged.

“You’ve never seen me talk to a woman.”

“I’m a woman, you are talking to.”

“Yes, but —” He pointed a finger at her — she gently nudged it away with her own. “I’d be good at wingmanning!”

“So we’re at ‘would be’, now.”

He sighed.

“Come on, I’m joking around.” She nudged him. “Though I still don’t trust you to set me up with anyone, ha.”

He shrugged. “If you insist on living with your unfounded postulates —”

“Unfounded — Xion, you can’t get yourself laid, how the hell do you plan on getting someone else —”

The look he gave her was downright scandalized.

She snorted. “Too far?”

“What —” he shoved the book back into his backpack hastily. His face was flushed. “That is an unfounded postulate, too.”

She snorted again. “Mhm.”

He frowned at her.

“Look,” she shrugged. “Just saying.”

“That you are.”

“If the past six months of watching you dance around your massive crush on your roommate are anything to go by —”

He went pale — hand flew out, shut her mouth.

She laughed into it. 

“I’m —” he was reddening again. Pulled his hand away. “Is it that obvious?”

“I mean,” she shrugged. “Yes.”

His face was _incredibly_ red.

“But I’m sure Pera didn’t notice!” She rushed to add. _Cause you’re both lost cases._

“I — I am, admittedly, not very experienced with the, ah.” Xion sighed, apparently searching for words.

“I don’t want to hear whatever phrase your brain comes up with, okay, I get it.” She felt like he was dangerously close to ‘romantic expeditions’ or ‘art of romance’ or something else she would not be able to not laugh at. “It’s chill, we’re all sad virgins —”

“I’m not sad—”

“Except for Torrvick, I guess, but he’s _really_ sad so—”

“I don’t want to keep having this conversation.”

She laughed. He, thank god, joined in.

“Hey,” she perked up, suddenly. “I’ll make you a deal.”

He looked nervous. “I’m not betting on anything.”

“I know you’re not,” she’d previously won too many a coin-flip for anyone to accept bets with her any more. “It’s more of a. Uh.”

He cocked one eyebrow. “Deal?”

She shooshed him. “Like this,”

“All ears,” he deadpanned.

“ _Shh!_ You— don’t laugh at me,”

“I’m not,” he was.

She put the hand over his mouth this time (he rolled his eyes). “If you confess to Pera before this year is over I’ll let you call the shots on my tinder account.”

His eyes widened.

“That a deal?”

He nudged her hand away. “You’re on tinder?”

“Yes, because it’s 2016 and I’m not, like, _sixty_ , welcome to the present day, _are you in or not_?”

He bit down on his lip, brow furrowed in though.

“Tick-tock, Xion.”

“Okay,” he sat up straighter. “I confess to Pera and you tell Sirena and Joshra you’re into them.”

Rina felt her heart self-annihilate. “Uh, _what_.”

Xion looked incredibly smug.

“Tick-tock.”

“Oh, fuck off.”

“Tick-.”

She squinted. “Deal.” 

“Deal?”

“ _Deal_.”

“Shake on it?”

They did a quick hand-squeeze.

“I need to go board now,” he informed her.

“Mhm.”

“Also, this energy is incredibly weird.”

It really was. “Scared yet?”

He freed his hand off her grasp. “Save that for Sirena.”

“Oh—”

And with a laugh, he was rushing down the corridor.

__

**NYE sirena’s house 2k17**

 

**rina** its happening!!!

**rina** sirena’s house, 31st dec, doors open (to u !!!!! none of the new friends u meet along the way **@dorro @dorro @dorro** ), byop (p is for pets, if the cats arent with you youre not getting in **@torrvick @torrvick @torrvick** ) and any homemade food ur family might want to provide ( **@pera** say hi to ur mom also)

**rina** 2016 is finally dying lets put it in the GROUND

**sirena** I second this message

**sirena** Also as you know, most of us aren’t drinking and while no one is forbidden from doing it you will need to bring your own provisions

**rina** and also get mean looks

**rina** also this has nothing to do with torrvick going cold turkey and we are not implying he wouldnt power through if we were all drunk bc thatd be patronizing and weve had this talk before

**Xion Praeten** I’ll be there. 

**Xion Praeten** I’m not drinking and I doubt you want any of my home-made food, is there anything else I could bring?

**sirena** Only yourself

**rina** bring ur dads leaflets so dorro can torch them?

**sirena** No

**rina** :(

**torrvick** Why is this so pingy

**torrvick** and ok **@rina** the cats say hi

**rina** you either die a pingee or live long enough…

**rina** (i love them)

**torrvick** They love you too

**rina** really?

**torrvick** No

**torrvick** Theyre month old kittens all they care about is eating my beard

**rina** :(

**rina** that just means i have more of their love to earn!

**Pera Rivers** Mom says hi back! 

**Pera Rivers** Can I get in on the leaflet destruction?

**Knott** Ha!

**Knott** Xion xion xion bring them over

**Knott** Send them over

**Knott** **@Xion** **@Xion** **@Xion** you know you want to!

**Xion Praeten** I really don’t.

**Knott** Know or want?

**Knott** Okay don’t answer me you coward

**rina** is he googling how to leave discord servers again

**sirena** You can’t google how to google something

**sirena** Oh boy he’s typing

**rina** its ok xion we know you can google

**Xion Praeten** I’ve changed my mind I’m staying home for the new years.

**Knott** Aw!

**Knott** Celebrate 2017 by getting stoned to death?

**Xion Praeten** I can only dream.

**Xion Praeten** I’ll bring you ONE leaflet each but you’re not allowed to show me what you do with it.

**Knott** Sure!

**Xion Praeten** Oh god.

**Sirena** Also I’m doing the shopping today, anything specific you want/need?

**Knott** Pera needs to get laid!

**rina** um w hat

**Knott** I’m wingmanning!

_**Pera Rivers** removed Knott from the conversation_

**Pera Rivers** No he’s not!

**rina** ok i was ready to write it off as dorro being dorro but now i want answers

**Pera Rivers** No you don’t!

**Boss-hra** okay fun time to join

**Boss-hra** i’ll be there **@sirena** <3

**sirena** You better

**sirena** <3

**Xion Praeten** Get a room, you two.

**Xion Praeten** Or as you kids would put it, a DM.

**rina** xion please stop talking

**Xion Praeten** Okay?

**rina** no not for real but w ow

_**rina** added **knott** to the conversation_

**knott** im being silenced!!!!!!!! Obstruction of my civil rights orwell was right

**Xion Praeten** You’ve read 1984?

**knott** lol no i just have twitter? anyways

**knott** jan 17 confirmed for vine death and i have some plans before then

_**rina** removed **knott** from the conversation_

 

__

Sirena’s apartment was on the second floor of the building, spacious and boasting the kind of minimalist design that screamed ‘my bank account is at all points in triple digits’ (phrase Xion was only familiar with cause Rina and Dorro kept using it). 

He hung his coat on the rack, started taking the shoes off.

Torrvick appeared in the corridor.

“Oh,” he said; there was a mug of something in his hand. “You’re not dead yet.”

“No,” Xion agreed. “Surprise.”

Torrvick took a sip. 

“You’re not dead either,” Xion added, because apparently, that was how you held a conversation nowadays.

Torrvick nodded. “Plane didn’t crash.”

“Oinkers around?”

“Of course,” Torrvick whistled, and soon a rapid beat of heavy paws hitting the floor could be heard from across the hallway. “She’s very excited.”

“Good for her.”

Oinkers had finally made it to the corridor; she rushed over to Xion’s side, rested her head in his lap.

He gave her head a careful pet, looked at Torrvick for help.

“Ye, you’ve got enough attention.” He thrust his mug in Xion’s hand, picked up the hundred pound half-breed like she weighted nothing. “Now let’s go bother Dorro some more, eh?”

Xion watched him go, mug still held cautiously in one hand. (maybe he sniffed it, to make sure it wasn’t alcoholic — maybe.) (he always had a mixed reaction to everything Torrvick ever did — was mostly pleasantly surprised, now, though)

The kitchen was empty, albeit clearly in-use; there was something in the oven, bottles and snack bags lining the counters, and a post-it on the fridge doors warning the reader to open at their own risk. 

Xion put the two leaflets advertising his father’s senate campaign on top of the bread-box, moved on into the living room.

“Xion!” Rina was the first to notice him — rushed over to pull him into a big hug, clearly excited and smelling heavily of cinnamon. 

“Rina?” He returned the hug, only a little awkwardly. “What’s happening?”

“I’m _happy to see you_ , but I see why that’d be confusing.” She pulled away, rolled her eyes. “Had a good trip?” 

“It was fine,” he looked over her shoulder — Pera was looking back at him.

Feeling his face flush, Xion looked away. “You?”

“Huh?”

“Did you have a good trip?” he was definitely red. _Curse his inability to keep a straight face_.

Rina raised one eyebrow, looked back at Pera. Snorted.

“I had a good trip too, yes.” She squeezed his shoulder. “I’m going to find the cats now.”

“They’re here?”

“Of course they are,” she gave him a serious look. “Torrvick knows I don’t make empty threats.”

“I should go with you!” Dorro said, from right next to them — Xion startled, having not noticed him at _all what the h_ ell — “We should all go!”

“No, we should not, _Dorro_ ,” Pera’s voice came out high-pitched, rushed. “Can you just, sit down, for a minute?”

 

Rina met Xion’s eyes, looked equally confused.

“Nope,” Dorro said. “I’ll go find Torrvick!”

And he was gone. Rina shrugged.

“I’ll check...that out,” she winked at Xion — he was regretting coming here (no he wasn’t. Being home was hell, Xion could not not admit it — still.) “Sirena and Joshra went for a last minute sparklers run, so, they’ll probably take a while.”

Xion frowned.

“They’re making out. “

“I got that much,” his turn to be annoying. “You should’ve gone with them.”

Rina gasped, glowered. “Hey.”

Xion grinned.

“Watch it,” she warned — then she was out, too.

“So,” Xion said after a moment. Moved to the couch. “That was weird.”

Pera laughed, nodded. Looked terribly tense.

Xion could relate. “Are you okay?”

“Yes!” Pera jumped up, beamed. “Um. Had a good trip?”

Xion had just had that conversation with Rina, but she did tell him to stop pointing those things out to people. “Yes, thank you.”

Pera was still beaming (Xion hated how much he’d missed seeing that). “Good to hear!”

“You?”

“Oh, yeah,” Pera’s smile turned sad. “It was good seeing. Everyone.”

Xion hesitated for a second — mentally berated himself — he knew Pera had lost a brother last summer, the first holiday season without him had probably been an awkward affair — still, it wasn’t like _ignoring_ it would’ve been much better.

“Phoenix got that 1-800-they/them shirt they’d been subtly linking us to since October,” Pera picked up the conversation first. “Seemed honestly surprised we got the hint.”

Xion laughed. “That’s nice.”

“Yeah,” Pera’s eyes were fond, distant. “Their hair got really long too — it’s weird.”

Xion waited, feeling it would do no good to interrupt.

“Like, I feel like they all changed more in the last few months than they did in the last eighteen years — is that weird?”

“Well, our perception is different when —” Xion suddenly remembered the september intervention, Sirena patiently telling him that his cadence sometimes made him sound like a jerk. “It’s not weird.”

Pera gave him another smile — it was a subtle, one-dimple one, and Xion quickly filed it away to his minds archive. 

Front doors opened — Joshra walked in first, arms full and lips red.

“We’re back — oh, hey, Xion.” She set the bags down, grinned. “You’re alive.”

“Everyone is surprised,” he responded. “That’s a lot of sparklers.”

“We went wild,” Sirena agreed — she’d changed her hair again, into smaller cornrows. “And also got more paper plates, because the cats ate some — you boys doing okay?”

Xion almost got annoyed— you’d think hanging around a literal alcoholic would make people less interested in his maybe dysfunctional family life (then again, his father’s policy did on average affect the entire group more than Torrvick’s drinking, so, there was that) — then remembered who he was sat next to.

“Uh,” he said, intelligently. “I’m fine.”

“We’re great,” Pera’s voice got that tone of voice, the one that meant he was mostly convincing himself.

“Yes,” was Xion’s way of backing that up.

“Okay,” Sirena didn’t push. “Anyways, I’m going to go fight Rina for the kittens — anyone need anything?”

They both shook their heads.

“Okay,” Sirena pecked Joshra on the cheek, moved for the kitchen. “Keep making yourself at home.”

__

“So,” Rina cornered him in the corridor half an hour later. “Didn’t tell him yet, did you?”

Xion considered playing dumb — decided against. “No.”

Rina looked smug. “Interesting!”

Xion glowered.

“Not to say, I told you so, but…”

“It’s only…” Xion checked his watch. “Nine thirty.”

“Oh, so you’re going to do it?” Rina didn’t sound convinced. “In the next two hours?”

_Two and a half_ , “I didn’t plan on making it a full-fledged documentary speech, so, yes.”

Okay then,” Rina snorted. “Looking forward to that.”

“You do that!” 

Xion had absolutely, no plan, whatsoever.

__

“So, are you going to kiss him on the New Years?”

Perra startled. “Dorro!”

“Sorry!” Dorro didn’t sound sorry; settled in on the couch next to Pera. “Are you?”

“He’ — _not so loud_ ,” Pera looked around for Xion, who was still nowhere to be seen, thank _god_.

Dorro leaned in, theatre whispered. “Are you?”

“Dorro,” Pera whined. “Why are you doing this?”

Dorro blinked. Smile grew. “Your face is darker.”

“Than yours? Yeah, it’s not that difficult—”

Dorro pinched his cheek. “You’re blushing!”

Pera swatted the hand away. “Yes, clearly.”

“Because you’re flustered?”

“A bit!”

“Joshra gets that way around Sirena,” Dorro looked smug. “I’m so good at this.”

Pera could almost _feel_ the premature greys. “At _what_?”

Dorro shrugged. “I don’t know. Reading your romantic tensions.”

Pera almost argued back, decided against it. “I told you I liked him, Dorro.”

“You did!” Dorro nodded, enthusiastic. “Now you just need to tell him!”

“Dorro!”

“Why won’t you?”

“Why would I?”

“You know,” Dorro was settling in. “You know why.”

“I never knew a single thing, ever.” Pera sat up abruptly, made a beeline for the nearest door. “Excuse me.” 

__

Pera closed the doors behind himself, exhaled.

“You too?”

Pera startled; Xion was sitting on the edge of a bed (Pera realized, belatedly, that this was Sirena’s bedroom), on his phone.

“Uh,” Pera was distinctly aware of how hot his face felt. “Me too what?”

Xion raised one eyebrow.

“We’re hiding,” Pera answered his own question.

Xion looked like he was about to protest, but then paused. “I guess.”

Pera snorted.

“Who from?” Xion put his phone away, face downturned; Pera awkwardly looked around the room, trying to find another place to sit. Found none.

“Um,” he took a seat on the edge of the bed, tried not to feel awkward. “I’m just…”

There was a moment of silence. Xion’s face turned concerned.

“Would you like some privacy?”

“No, I —” Pera sighed. “Dorro is just. Getting some weird ideas and trying to get me to play along with them so—”

“I get you,” Xion laughed. “Same boat, kind of.”

“Huh?” Pera felt himself relaxing, glad the conversation was steering far, far away from the-thing-Dorro-was-currently-about. “What’s happening?”

“Just…” Xion was avoiding his eyes. “I had a few disagreements with Rina.”

Pera frowned. “Everything okay?”

“Yes, no, just —” Xion paused, groaned. “It’s nothing.”

A moment of silence.

“Would _you_ like some privacy…”

“No!” Xion laughed, elbowed him gently — Pera hated how fluttery it made him. “I guess we can. Share our hiding place.”

Pera nodded.

“If they find us, we rush them.”

Pera laughed. “I’ll follow your lead.”

He looked over — Xion was smiling at him.

Both looked away.

“Okay, look.” Xion cleared his throat, turned back to Pera (their thighs brushed). “I made a bet with Rina.”

Pera raised both eyebrows, but nodded at him to continue.

Xion’s face was _very_ red. “You know how she, uh, has a huge crush on both Sirena and Joshra and how they both think she’s cute but won’t do anything unless she initiates it and she never will because she’s too much of a coward?”

Pera was feeling personally called out. “Oh, yeah, I got that.”

“So,” Xion inhaled (he wasn’t meeting Pera’s eyes). “She promised she’ll make her move if,” Xion stopped. Swallowed. Rushed out the rest. “If I _tell you I like you before 2017_?”

Pera blinked.

(Somewhere in the back of his mind, Dorro’s smug face drifted by.)

“Oh,” was all he said.

“I know it’s weird,” Xion was still not looking at him. “I know I just made it weird, uh — I clearly, um, respect your decision to not like me back _because that’s what you do_ and if you want to, not talk to me for a while, or forever, both are fine, and if you want to change rooms I’ll support that too and —”

There was a knock on the door.

“I don’t know what you two are doing in there and I don’t really care,” Sirena’s voice came through. “But if you do anything on my bed I _will_ set it on fire with you both still in it.”

A beat.

“Not kidding.”

“Got it!”

“Understood.”

Footsteps moving away.

“I like you too,” Pera said, before he could chicken out.

Xion finally looked at him.

Another moment of silence.

“No.”

Pera frowned. “Yes?”

“You don’t.”

“Xion, I will walk out of here.”

Xion laughed, hid his face in his hands. “Oh my god.”

“What?”

“We might actually be incredibly stupid.” 

“I mean,” Pera reached over, nudged his knee with his knee. “We knew that.”

“Guess I can’t argue with that right now.”

“But happiness is deciding we aren’t better than stupid.”

Xion looked up at that, eyebrow raised.

Pera felt his face flush. “It’s from A Softer World.”

“I,” Xion was clearly holding back laughter. “Have no idea what that is.”

“Okay, I’m changing my mind —”

“But it’s incredibly wise!”

“I think I’ll go confess my love to Rina instead, before Sirena and Joshra steal her away.”

“No, please, teach me what the soft world is.”

The doors opened. “Okay, for real, are you two fucking?”

“Dorro!”

Pera laughed, rolled over onto the bed. “Yes.”

Dorro squinted. “I know you’re not.”

“That’s incredibly perceptive,” Xion said.

“Oh, he’s also wise,” Pera looked up at Xion. “Want to date him too?”

“I mean, that’s a given, but —”

“Okay, be like that, I don’t care.” Dorro was still scrutinizing them. “We’re starting the Uno death tournament, though, if you want to join —”

Xion was already on sitting up — Pera snorted.

“What?” 

“Nothing,” Pera whispered. “Just marvelling at how bad my taste in men is.”

Xion rolled his eyes, shoved him playfully — Dorro’s eyes were wide.

“Oh, you really told him!”

Pera buried his face in the sheets, screamed.

“He did,” Xion confirmed. “But to be fair, I told him first.”

“Because Rina made you?”

“Go away.”

Pera was laughing — Xion fell onto the bed next to him, smiled.

“So,” he repeated. “You like me back?”

Pera shrugged. “You could say so.”

“I’d like to hear you say so.”

Pera’s face felt hot, chest felt giggly. “I like you.”

Xion, at least, seemed equally giggly. “Well, I like you too.”

“Well,” Pera was going to combust. But in a good way. “Good.”

“Good!”

“Good!”

A pause. They stared at each other (Pera was going to _combust_ ).

“Uh,” Xion said, after a minute. “Can I…”

He didn’t finish the sentence. Pera raised an eyebrow.

“You know,” he finished, lamely.

Pera laughed. “I really don’t.”

“I told you I liked you first, you do this first step!”

Pera knew exactly what he was asking for. “Which first step?”

Xion buried his face in Pera’s shoulder. “You’re the worst.”

“But you like me!”

Xion rolled over fully now, looked up. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

“Care to kiss?”

Pera bit his lip. “Sure.”

Xion glared — Pera kissed him. 

(Xion stopped glaring.)

They joined the rest of the group some time later — all eyes turned to them the second they passed the threshold. 

“I don’t want to know what you did,” Sirena said, not looking up from her cards. “I just want you to know I’m extremely disappointed.”

“We didn’t —” Pera tried, paused. “Okay.”

She looked up at that.

Dorro was giving them a thumbs-up.

“So,” Xion cleared his throat. “Rina?”

Her smug grin faded. 

He reached out, grabbed Pera’s hand. “Scared?”

“I hate you so much,” she put her cards down, sighed. “Hey, Sirena, can we talk?”

“Uh,” Sirena followed her lead. “Of course.”

“Joshra, come with us.”

The three left — Dorro watched them, then turned back to Pera.

“What?” 

“Ha,” Pera said. “Didn’t catch that one?”

“I was otherwise occupied!”

“Well,” Xion sat down, tugged Pera to join him. “Thanks for that.”

Dorro looked incredibly proud.

“Hey,” Torrvick called out, from under Oinker’s giant frame. “Happy holidays.”

He threw a thing at the two — it fell in between them, and Pera reached for it without thinking.

Xion grabbed the box of condoms from his hand, threw it back at Torrvick (his face was red again).

“Keep it,” he said; Torrvick kept laughing. “Don’t make more kids.”

__

The girls rejoined them some forty minutes later, all noticeably flustered; Xion seemed to enjoy the turned tables to an almost worrying degree.

“What,” he asked, once he noticed Pera watching him.

“He’s just really gay,” Sirena said.

“Hey!”

“Takes one to know one,” she added.

Pera buried his face in Xion’s shoulder (he could do that now, he could just...do that), snorted.

“Okay, we’re finally all in the same room,” Joshra spoke up. “Is it presents time now?”

Rina sat up immediately. “Yes!”

“Are you,” Dorro squinted at her. “On something?”

“She’s high on love,” Torrvick muttered.

“You know what,” she tried to fake upset, but her mouth wouldn’t stop curling up (Pera could relate). “Yes!”

“Well,” Torrvick was laughing. “Good for you.”

“Yes!”

From Pera’s side, Xion piped up, “Going to throw the condoms at them, too?”

“The what?”

“He won’t,” Sirena answered, not even looking up (Torrvick didn’t argue). “Presents, now.”

__

Dorro opened Pera’s drawing — it was his Dungeons and Dragons character, setting fire to one of their recurring villain’s (conveniently named after his asshole boss) ship — grew silent.

“Surprised it isn’t porn?” Torrvick asked.

“Shut up,” he whispered. “It’s awesome.” 

“Did you...think it was going to be porn?” Xion asked, confused.

Pera was rubbing at his face again. “It’s a long story.”

“We have a lot of time?”

Joshra threw a decorative cushion at them, and it flew right between their heads. “Get a room!”

Rina had, honestly, seen it coming, but still teared up when Torrvick informed her she could keep both kittens.

“I wanted one for Caitlyn!” Dorro protested.

“Caitlyn can come visit.”

Dorro pouted, but seemed to accept it.

“Plus, I already got her a swiss knife.”

“You what—”

“What should I name them?” Rina turned to her — _her girlfriends, holy shit,_ how —, held up the two tabbies.

“After us,” Joshra responded almost immediately.

“That’ll get confusing,” Sirena said.

“Shh, human Sirena.”

Sirena gave her a kiss; then, almost as if having planned it, leaned over to Rina, kissed the tip of her nose.

“Awww,” Dorro said, from wherever he currently was.

“Yeah,” Rina agreed.

To their right, Xion was putting on the rainbow beanie with a look of resignation.

“It looks great,” Pera was lying to him.

“I hate you all,” Xion was lying, badly. “You know I can’t take it home, right?”

“We’ll babysit it for you during the holidays.”

He bit his lip, but the grin still escaped him. “Sure, deal.”

Sirena managed to find a frame for the watercolour peisage Rina had drawn for her (it wasn’t really good, Rina had to admit, but Sirena insisted she liked it and _was this what having a girlfriend was like, it was the worst, Rina loved it_ ), got Joshra to help her hang it in the bedroom. 

“Want to facetime my kids?” Torrvick suddenly spoke up.

“Uh,” Rina spoke first, but then immediately realized she didn’t know what to say.

“They’re going to bed soon,” he was looking at the floor. “And —”

“Hell yes, show off your kids.” Dorro was already going for his phone. “Let’s meet the bearded babies!”

Torrvick looked visibly relieved, maybe a little dadly-proud? “You know they don’t actually have beards.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it!”

__

“Twenty seconds to midnight!” Joshra called out, already on the balcony. “Get over here!”

Rina grabbed the bottle of kids champagne, stole half the sparklers from Dorro’s hand (“you do _not_ need that many, scram”) — Sirena held the doors open for her, and she blushed walking by.

“Ten!” Dorro was shouting, even though it probably wasn’t ten-til-anything, really. Rina found she didn’t really care — wasn’t sure if it was the pure adrenaline of getting to kiss not one but _two_ girls or the sheer amount of sugar she’d eaten over the course of the night but she was filled with so much happiness she thought she was going to explode.

“You okay?” Torrvick asked her — accepted the bottle, started working the cap.

“Yeah,” she whispered back. “I just love you all a lot?”

He looked at her. Snorted.

“We love you too,” he elbowed her. 

“Nine!”

“Time doesn’t...not pass, when you’re not paying attention,” Xion was telling Dorro.

“Nine!”

“Isn’t time a social construct?” Joshra asked.

“So is capitalism yet money still—”

Pera met Rina’s eyes, rolled his. He looked incredibly giddy.

Jesus, Rina loved these tools.

Pera and Xion tried to subtly disappear, at one point, post-midnight — Torrvick threw something after them, and Xion batted it away with a shouted ‘not again!’

They unanimously agreed that the Room was the only movie one could kick off a new year with. Snuggled up next to two really pretty, really really great women, Rina would have agreed to watch a blank screen for two hours.

Pera and Xion re-appeared half-way through, Xion’s face incredibly red.

“Nice,” Torrvick yawned.

“Shut up,” Xion said. 

They finished the movie, all squeezed together on the couch; Torrvick and Joshra agreed to get more blankets, and then Oinkers decided she wanted to lie on top of them, and then no one could move again.

“Hope you all have good bladders,” Torrvick said.

“And-or a thing for this sort of thing,” Joshra added.

“Joshra,” Sirena tried, and failed, to sound reproachful.

“Like, a sexual thing.”

“We got it.”

Pera was right next to Rina; she turned around, as well as she could, nudged him.

“Hey,” she whispered. “You’re welcome.”

He looked at her like he knew exactly what she was on about, glanced over at Joshra and Sirena. Back at her.

“You too.”

She laughed, buried his face in his shoulder.

They face-timed Pera’s family next — they lasted an hour before Phoenix tried to have a private word with “their brothers now-boyfriend?” and Pera promptly hung up.

“You can’t keep doing that,” Xion informed him, through laughter.

“I can!” Pera had his face in his boyfriend’s chest. “You didn’t let me meet your siblings either!”

“My brothers are hardly comparable to any of your siblings.”

“You think that,” Pera laughed. “Phoenix throws really good punches.”

“I’m good at dodging.”

“Good to know.” Then, after a moment. “They wouldn’t really —”

“I know, Pera.” Xion was still laughing. “I mean, if I do hurt you, they’re invited to —”

“Jesus christ,” Joshra cut them off. 

“So,” Sirena spoke up. “How is everyone feeling?”

“Good,” Pera said.

“Good,” Dorro piped in.

“Could do with a drink,” Torrvick.

“We know.”

“But won’t.”

“Proud of you,” Sirena sounded genuinely proud.

“What will it be, now?” Xion asked. “Three weeks?”

Torrvick grumbled something.

“That’s pretty impressive,” Rina joined in.

“Can you please change the topic.”

“Right,” Dorro said. “Right!”

“You sound very excited,” Xion was watching Dorro try to crawl out from under Oinkers proto-weighted blanket. “And it scares me.”

“We didn’t torch your dad’s leaflets!”

“You’re right!” Pera sat up — Xion slid deeper under the blanket.

“Let’s make those paper snowflakes,” Sirena was getting up too. “But gay.”

“All paper snowflakes are gay?”

“True, but you know what I mean.”

Oinkers moved, clearly intrigued by the commotion — Rina slid closer to Xion.

“So,” he noticed her. “That deal, the one we made.”

“Mhm.”

“I’m not sure who won?”

She laughed (god, he was so dumb).

Joshra and Dorro were arguing over paper designs — Pera was already started on one. Sirena and Torrvick were in the corner, talking in hushed voices, and if the flustered look on Torrvick’s face was anything to go by, she was probably telling him things Rina was a hundred percent backing up.

Three months ago, she was in the cafeteria with Aramil when he suddenly needed to leave and then she ended up sitting alone and then a really loud group of people asked if they could take the seats —

And now she was celebrating new years with them. Life was wild.

“Rina?”

“Okay, shit, the bet.” Rina beamed back at Xion, pretended she didn’t just zone out thinking about how much she loved her friends. “Think we all won.”

**Author's Note:**

> *sorry for the impromptu game of condoms catch and the piss kink cameo hope its still considered sfw


End file.
